


Chicken

by Shinigamibutter



Series: Tattooed Souls [7]
Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-09-06 00:14:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20282206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinigamibutter/pseuds/Shinigamibutter
Summary: Hyunwoo learns to love despite differences when Kihyun keeps coming to his seafood restaurant and ordering chicken.





	Chicken

**Author's Note:**

> Well here we are my 100th fanfic on here. I ran a poll and ot6/Changkyun won, and I'll still be writing that. But I got depressed and when I'm sad I want to write ShowKi so here we are….  
I'll get to my other fics too, I've been busy and sad lately. I'm working on the chapter for Single, I've been working on it a week already.

Son Hyunwoo frowned as he stood with his notepad poised and his heart shattered yet again. This customer, a regular of about two months, was ordering the same dish again. And even though he'd talked him up, several times on the delicacies of seafood, this customer, as always, ordered chicken. Which might not have been devastating if Hyunwoo weren't the chef and owner of this seafood restaurant. Truly it hurt something in his soul to be serving chicken to this customer every two to three days. As that was how often he'd stopped by. 

Honestly at this point he'd thought of forgoing even bringing out his notepad and bothering to ask this regular's order. Except, despite the aggravating food choice, and the bafflement it left him with, this regular had become Hyunwoo's secret favorite. Though he knew none of his aggravation or even his enamorment showed on his face. As he'd heard several times in varying degrees of admonishment that he looked stoic and robotic. It was only in moments like this, where the regular looked up at him expectantly and smiled he was glad for it.

"So you're not going to try the shrimp this time?" Hyunwoo allowed himself a small sigh of purposefully exaggerated disappointment. The regular in turn smiled at him balefully and handed him the menu. "Next time I'll have a new dish to suggest." He tacked on over his shoulder as he made his way to the small behind the counter kitchen. He could easily be seen by any one in the restaurant. However, as it almost always was at this time of day, it was empty save his regular. Who, always seemed to float in at the odd time of day when Hyunwoo was alone. The rest of his staff resting. 

Truly the first time this regular had come in, a wistful smile on their face and at the cusp of closing between dinner, he'd been reluctant to serve them. For some reason he still couldn't explain he'd done it anyway. That time the space had been quiet, empty, and still save the sound of their breathing and food cooking. But it hadn't been awkward, not really like he'd thought it would be. Like it was sometimes when it was only him and a customer who lingered. The air was like that now even with Hyunwoo's light bantering statements. And he could feel eyes on him. 

Eyes following his every move in the restaurant weren't quite unusual though, he was handsome and he knew it without being told. But his customers weren't the only ones with wandering eyes. Every chance he got Hyunwoo watched this regular, his favorite regular, starting from the first time. There was just something about him, from his sharp jawline, short stature, and piercing eyes that drew his own. Of course there was also the adorable way he ate, with cheeks full from small bites to large bites and both just as interesting to see. If anything he was reminded of a hamster. 

It wasn't until he was plating that he felt his regular's eyes leave him. Now looking directly at the plate as it was delivered to his table. The one directly across from, but not against the kitchen counter. It stood against the window with a view of the wharf, not a fancy view as Hyunwoo couldn't quite afford that. But a view that was nice and closer to where the fishers were than any other restaurant of his caliber. "A new chicken dish?" The regular looked up at him from the food and Hyunwoo was taken aback by the smoothness of his vioce, the deliberation of it. 

"A new chicken dish, I'll even name it after you." He faltered for a moment remembering he'd never really talked with this regular, despite all the chances to do so. Which meant he didn't know his name, really wouldn't it be unprofessional to do so? He wasn't sure, but he smiled through his blunder awaiting the refusal that never came. Instead his regular laughed, a full laugh the made Hyunwoo's heart do a thing it had never done before. A bit like lurching into his ribcage as if to escape it, as if trying to escape into his regular. 

"Yoo Kihyun, it's Kihyun." Hyunwoo's heart gave up on his ribcage and caught in his throat as his regular, Kihyun smiled at him. The weather outside had been a bit overcast and cloudy with more wetness than usual, but now inside all Hyunwoo could see was sunshine and warmth. "I'll hold you to it." His Kihyun finished with a light, soft chuckle that Hyunwoo wanted to disappear into. But he only nodded, hoping his robotic face had saved him again as he went back to the kitchen without a word. He couldn't look back to see the adorable sight of him eating even though he wanted to.

It had hit him all at once why his regular, his Kihyun was his favorite customer. And why even though he was sure they wouldn't, couldn't truly get along because Kihyun didn't like seafood he still liked him. And maybe in that like, that fondness for his stubbornness and adorable hamster cheeks he'd fallen in love. And even when the bell above the door chimed signaling Kihyun's departure he couldn't turn around until he was gone. Even when he did, his mind filled with the best chicken dishes that would possibly measure up to his feelings. 

♡ ° • ○♡ ° • ○♡☆♡ ° • ○♡ ° • ○♡

It was only a few days later that Kihyun came in again, the bells announcing his presence. As if Hyunwoo hadn't been watching the door at this time everyday since he'd understood his feelings. This time though he stopped Kihyun before he took his normal seat. "Sit here." He flinched at the gruffness of his own voice but Kihyun only smiled at him sitting where he was told. "I made a new chicken dish, I've got a name in mind but I'll have you try it before I truly honor it with your name." His Kihyun nodded and Hyunwoo ignored his flush, knowing it was hidden by the heat of the stove.

He worked quietly like he always did, taking the extra precautions just in case the chicken was ordered for someone with allergies. It was a little nerve wracking to know that Kihyun was watching him, not his hands or the food like he could have been. But his face. Which he could feel growing hotter in the comfortable silence. Though there wasnt any helping it as he could see quite a lot of Kihyun's collar bones with his open scoop collar. A rare relaxed look on his favorite regular. Usually he wore more business casual clothing. 

While he was placing the new chicken dish, finished and perfectly plated Hyunwoo felt his heart stutter as Kihyun leaned forward, taking a whiff of the food. And while Hyunwoo wanted to stare openly at him taking the first bite, enjoying what he'd ultimately made him out of love, he couldn't. Because there on Kihyun's shoulder, revealed by the loose neck was a tattoo. But not just any tattoo, one Hyunwoo recognized as his own. A small, cute, and fitting polar bear floating in a sauce pan at sea. It was his first tattoo when he'd finally opened his restaurant. 

Hyunwoo felt like maybe he wasn't breathing as he stared at Kihyun in a new light. His favorite regular wasn't looking at him though. Maybe not realizing his shirt was revealing so much. Or maybe not aware what had just happened between them. Hyunwoo felt like he knew though, had known from the first time he'd entered with his wistful smile and small hands. It didn't really matter now that Hyunwoo knew. He forced himself to go back to cleaning, realizing his frozen moment had been only a few seconds. And the cleaning allowed him to think. 

Though he knew, no matter what he thought the discovery was made. Kihyun was his soulmate and the mark of his first tattoo confirmed it. He hoped that Kihyun hadn't hated it when it appeared. He'd thought long and hard before he'd gotten it. And his tattoo artist had made him go through two consultations and a lecture beforehand. Still, he'd loved it and given up on love, unsure if he even had a soulmate, when he'd opened the Polar Kitchen. The logo was a polar bear shaped frying pan that he'd also paid his tattoo artist to draw it for him. 

Before he could regather his thoughts Kihyun was addressing him, a soft satisfied smile on his face, cheeks full before he swallowed. "This is amazing, Hyunwoo." Hyunwoo smiled at the praise, he admittedly heard praise often for seafood but not so much his chicken. "Please name it after me for sure." The words were said with a smile, so wide Kihyun's eyes were scrunched up. And Hyunwoo felt his heart dance again while he was struck with another realization, he'd fallen in love without knowing Kihyun was destined to be his. He found himself falling more in love each time he saw him. 

"Certainly." His voice cracked and at the moment when Hyunwoo would have looked away he didn't. Staring into dark eyes across from him. The only distance between them the counter. He hesitated momentarily as their eyes found themselves glued together. Hyunwoo's heart pounded even as he rediscovered his voice. "I saw your tattoo, a polar bear in a saucepan? That's pretty original." He kept his face as calm as he could, even with his cheeks gaining color. Though they weren't reddening as quickly as Kihyun's.

"I was going to tell you." Kihyun's face turned down and Hyunwoo hesitated to ask anything as the chopsticks in Kihyun's hand were put down. When he looked up Hyunwoo didn't see anymore resemblance to a hamster, his regular was more like a shark. "I saw your tattoo when I was passing by for work, you were sitting at the table doing figures. And I…" Hyunwoo could hear the sincerity in Kihyun's voice as well as the wavering, the uncertainty of what would come of his decisions. "I was going to tell you the day you talked me into shrimp. But I was, am just as chicken as the chicken I keep ordering."

Hyunwoo smiled at that. It made him feel a little better about Kihyun coming into his seafood restaurant and ordering chicken. "Maybe we should start over?" He smiled widely at Kihyun, who looked at him wide eyed and hopeful. His dish still sitting between them mostly uneaten, but not forgotten as Hyunwoo pointed to it. "This will be Kihyun's dish." And he pointed to himself his cheeks flushing. "And I can say I'm Kihyun's soulmate, chef Hyunwoo." He smiled prompting, just a little with his hand. 

Kihyun smiled in response, a giggle forming that Hyunwoo could see sparkling in his eyes. "And I'm Kihyun, Hyunwoo's soulmate and best customer." The giggle bubbled out and for a moment Hyunwoo thought their faces would split with giddiness. With love, that even without his tattoo and Kihyun's mark, he'd fallen into. For a moment everything made sense and was right with the world. It was a moment filled with possibilities, and a future he was looking forward to as they finally started talking, filling what had once been open space between them.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry it's a bit pointless and junky, but it made me happy to write ❤


End file.
